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As an entrepreneur, projecting the image of a confident
leader to your investors employees, and customers is crucial.
But, self-assurance doesn't come naturally for many. Learning to
think like a confident person can help you find composure, no
matter how big the
hurdle.

"Confidence is knowing that you can walk into any situation with
the skills, strengths, and abilities you need," says Marci G.
Fox, licensed psychotherapist and author of Think Confident, Be Confident
(Perigee Trade, 2009). "You know that you can deal with [the
situation], or find someone or something to help you."

Self-doubt prevents you from taking the risks necessary to run a
successful company. "You overestimate the risk in your mind," Fox
says. "You see yourself as more vulnerable, and you forget how
capable and competent you are."

Often, the doubts that get the best of us are rooted in needless
worry about things that have gone wrong in the past or might go
wrong in the future, Fox says.

Confidence allows you to focus on the present -- on realistic
concerns about issues that are happening now. By doing that, you
spend your energy on problems you can solve, which makes you more
successful and reinforces confidence.

Try these three tips to become a more confident leader in any
situation:

1. Get the facts first.
Feelings of anxiety or doubt -- both signs of shaky confidence --
start with a negative thought, such as "I'm terrible at giving
presentations." Most of the time, those thoughts are false. "Just
because you think it or feel it doesn’t mean it's true," Fox
says.

To stay confident, put negative thoughts to the test. For
example, if you think investors doubt your abilities, ask
yourself what evidence you have to support that belief? What
evidence do you have against it? If the facts suggest it's true,
then brainstorm solutions to fix the problem. If not, use your
list of evidence to help you toss that belief aside.

2. Acknowledge your accomplishments.
As you work toward a big goal like launching a product, pay
attention to daily successes in order to keep your confidence
high. "Often, we're so focused on what we haven't done that we
can't accurately see our progress," Fox says.

Instead, turn your attention to everything you have accomplished.
At the end of each day, write down five things you completed or
learned. "Give yourself credit for everything along the way," Fox
says. "[Each step] gets you closer to the overall goal."

3. Update your self image.
When we doubt our abilities, we typically remember embarrassing
or painful moments when we did that task terribly. But those
memories are usually wildly out of date. "People who fear public
speaking might flash back on a time in eighth grade when they
started crying in front of the class," Fox says.

The reality is that you're constantly learning, and with
experience, you get better at knowing who and how to ask for
help. When you go into a doubt-inducing situation, think of all
the skills you've gained, and act as if you're that person -- the
updated, accurate version of yourself who has the experience or
know-how to succeed.